Siege of Guînes (1352) facts for kids

The siege of Guînes was a battle that happened from May to July 1352. It was part of the Hundred Years' War, a long conflict between England and France. During this time, there was supposed to be a truce, or a break in fighting, called the truce of Calais.

The French army, led by Geoffrey de Charny, tried to take back the castle at Guînes. English soldiers had captured this castle in January of the same year. Even though there was a truce, the English king, Edward III, decided to keep the castle. Charny's army of 4,500 men took back the town of Guînes. However, they could not surround the castle completely. After two months of intense fighting, the English launched a surprise night attack. This attack caused the French to suffer heavy losses and retreat. Guînes then became part of the Pale of Calais, an area controlled by England around the city of Calais. The castle was attacked by the French again in 1436 and 1514, but it stayed in English hands until 1558.

Why the Siege Happened

England's Land in France

For a long time, English kings also held land in France. This meant they were like vassals, or loyal subjects, to the kings of France. But there were many disagreements between Philip VI of France and Edward III of England.

In 1337, Philip's council in Paris decided to take back the lands Edward held in France. They said Edward was not following his duties as a vassal. This decision started the Hundred Years' War, which lasted for 116 years.

The Battle of Crécy and Calais

After nine years of fighting, Edward landed his army in northern Normandy in 1346. He marched his army across France, reaching the gates of Paris. The English then fought Philip's much larger army at the Battle of Crécy. The French army was badly defeated.

Edward needed a port where his army could get supplies from the sea. The port of Calais was perfect for this. It was easy to defend and could be supplied by sea. Edward's army attacked Calais in September 1346. The French king could not help the town, and the hungry defenders surrendered in 1347.

A truce was agreed upon to stop the fighting for a while. This was the Truce of Calais. It was supposed to last for nine months but was extended many times. However, this truce did not stop all fighting. There were still small battles at sea and in other parts of France.

A Plan to Retake Calais

In 1348, Geoffrey de Charny became the leader of French forces in the northeast. Even with the truce, Charny planned to take Calais back by trickery. He bribed an Italian officer in the city's army, named Amerigo of Pavia, to open a gate for his forces.

But the English king, Edward, found out about the plan. He quickly crossed the English Channel and led his own knights and the Calais army in a surprise attack. When the French approached on New Year's Day 1350, they were defeated. Many French soldiers were killed or captured, including Charny himself.

The Ransom and Guînes

In late 1350, Raoul, Count of Eu, a high-ranking French noble, returned after being held captive by the English for over four years. He was released by Edward personally, waiting to pay his ransom. This ransom was a huge amount of money.

Instead of paying money, Raoul agreed to give the English the town of Guînes. Guînes was about 6 miles from Calais and had a very strong castle. It was an important fort in the French defenses around Calais. If the English had Guînes, it would make Calais much safer from attacks.

The new French king, John II, was very angry about this. He saw it as a way to weaken the defense of Calais. So, he had Raoul executed for treason. This stopped the deal from happening. The king's action against such a high-ranking noble caused a lot of anger in France.

The English Take Guînes

The keep at Guînes in 2007

In early 1352, a group of English soldiers, led by John of Doncaster, captured Guînes. They did this by climbing the walls at midnight. Some stories say Doncaster had been a prisoner in Guînes earlier in the war. He used that time to study the castle's defenses. After he was freed, he stayed in France as part of the Calais army. One story even says he learned about the defenses from a French washerwoman he knew!

The French soldiers in Guînes were not expecting an attack. Doncaster's group crossed the moat, climbed the walls, killed the guards, and took over the castle. They also freed the English prisoners held there.

The French were furious. The acting commander of Guînes was executed for failing his duty. This was ordered by Charny, who had returned to France after being ransomed. French messengers quickly went to London to protest to King Edward on January 15.

Edward was in a difficult spot. Guînes would make the English area around Calais much stronger. But keeping it would clearly break the truce. This would make Edward lose honor and might restart the war, which he was not ready for. So, he ordered the English soldiers to give Guînes back.

By chance, the English Parliament was meeting on January 17. Some of the king's advisors gave strong speeches, wanting war. Parliament agreed to approve taxes for three years of war. Feeling sure he had enough money, Edward changed his mind. By the end of January, the English commander in Calais had new orders: to take control of Guînes for the king. Doncaster was pardoned and rewarded. The French, determined to fight back, raised money and began gathering an army.

The French Attack Guînes

The motte and keep of Guînes castle in 2012

When fighting started at Guînes, it also flared up in other parts of France. But the main French effort was focused on Guînes. Geoffrey de Charny was again put in charge of all French forces in the northeast. He gathered an army of 4,500 men. This included 1,500 knights and many Italian crossbowmen.

By May, the 115 English soldiers in the Guînes castle, led by Thomas Hogshaw, were under attack. The French took back the town, but it was hard to get close to the castle. The area around the castle was marshy and had many small waterways. This made it difficult to attack but easy for the English to get supplies by water.

Charny decided the only way to attack was through the main entrance, which faced the town. This entrance was protected by a strong gatehouse. He turned a nearby convent into a fortress, surrounding it with a strong fence. He also placed catapults and cannons there.

By the end of May, the English sent over 6,000 soldiers to Calais. From there, they constantly attacked the French throughout June and early July. In mid-July, many more troops arrived from England. With help from the Calais army, they managed to sneak up on the French camp at night. They launched a surprise attack, killing many French soldiers and destroying a large part of their fence around the convent. Soon after, Charny gave up the siege. He left a small group of soldiers to hold the convent.

The French then destroyed a new English tower near Fretun, about 3 miles southwest of Calais. After that, their army went back to Saint-Omer and broke up. For the rest of the year, the English made their area around Calais bigger. They built and strengthened forts on all the roads through the marshes. This area became known as the Pale of Calais. Because Calais was a threat, the French had to keep soldiers in 60 forts around the town, which was very expensive.

What Happened Next

The war was not going well for the French in other places either. The new pope, Innocent VI, encouraged both sides to make peace. Talks for a peace treaty began in Guînes in early 1353. On April 6, 1354, a draft treaty was agreed upon. This Treaty of Guînes would have ended the war, mostly in England's favor.

French and English ambassadors went to Avignon to officially sign the treaty with the Pope. But this did not happen. The French king was convinced that another round of fighting might give him a better deal. So, he pulled his representatives out of the talks.

Charny was killed in 1356 at the Battle of Poitiers. In this battle, the French royal army was defeated by a smaller English force led by Edward's son, the Black Prince. King John of France was captured. In 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny finally ended this part of the war. Huge areas of France were given to England, including Guînes and its surrounding county. Guînes became part of the Pale of Calais. The castle was attacked by the French in 1436 and 1514, but it was saved each time. Guînes stayed in English hands until it was captured by the French in 1558.

Images for kids

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  The keep at Guînes in 2007

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  The motte and keep of Guînes castle in 2012